James 1:18 BSB — MannaFest

James 1:18

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

KJV

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

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Commentary

2 voices

Bede

Commentary on the Catholic Epistles (735)

That we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Lest we imagine that by saying, "He begot us," we become what He is, this demonstrates that a certain preeminence is granted to us in creation by this adoption. Indeed, some have translated the …

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

(3.) The means whereby this is affected are pointed out: the word of truth, that is, the gospel, as Paul expresses it more plainly, 1 Cor. iv. 15 , I have begotten you in Jesus Christ through the gospel. This gospel in indeed a word of truth, or else it could never produce such real, such lasting, such great and noble effects.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Of his own will begat he us - God’s will here is opposed to the lust of man, Jas 1:15; his truth, the means of human salvation, to the sinful means referred to in the above verse; and the new creatures, to the sin conceived and brought forth, as above. As the will of God is essentially good, all its productions must be good also; as it is infinitely pure, all its productions must be holy.

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3275: “'A Kind of First Fruits'” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1911)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
βουληθεὶς	boulētheis	Having willed [it]	G1014 →
ἀπεκύησεν	apekuēsen	He brought forth	G616 →
ἡμᾶς	hēmas	us	G3165 →
λόγῳ	logō	by [the] word	G3056 →
ἀληθείας,	alētheias	of truth,	G225 →
εἰς	eis	for	G1519 →
τὸ	to	<the>	G3588 →
εἶναι	einai	to be	G1511 →
ἡμᾶς	hēmas	us	G3165 →
ἀπαρχήν	aparchēn	firstfruits	G536 →
τινα	tina	a certain	G5100 →
τῶν	tōn	<the>	G3588 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	of His	G846 →
κτισμάτων.¶	ktismatōn	creatures.	G2938 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
leads to
- 1 Peter 1:23
  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- 1 John 5:4
  because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Romans 15:13
  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Titus 3:4–6
  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
- Ephesians 1:7
  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Through
1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
leads to
- 1 Peter 1:3
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Hebrews 4:12
  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Through
John 1:13
children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
leads to
- 1 John 3:9
  Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.